Make a Difference for Cats

Discover how you can start a rescue group.

Discover how you can start a rescue group.

You love cats and have longed to do something that will make a difference for them on a larger scale. It might sound like an intimidating undertaking, but starting a rescue group all your own could be the right thing for you and it isn’t as daunting as it seems – especially when you’re prepared with advice that has worked for others.

“Spend at least a year, if not three years, in a local humane society as ‘boot camp,'” says Kirsten Kranz, director of Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue in Kenosha, Wis. “Help out at the front desk, clean cages, volunteer in all aspects of the animal sheltering business so you know exactly what you will be dealing with. It is very difficult, heartbreaking, heart-mending work; and if you can’t handle it, you can’t run a good rescue group.”

Happy VolunteersThe backbone of a successful rescue group is volunteers. These individuals take on an abundance of roles within the organization, from supplying temporary homes for displaced kitties as feline foster parents to working at adoption and fundraising events, as well as taking on desk-specific tasks such as answering inquiries via email and phone calls, writing the organization newsletter and even maintaining the group website.

**Get the July 2012 issue of CAT FANCY to read the full article or click here to purchase a PDF version.**